Railway snow-excavator



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

P. J. NEWMAN & J. GREE'NE. RAILWAY SNOW EXOAVATOR.

"N05 357,498. v 'Patented'f'eb; 8, 1887.

0% Zaire/ $2 031 may:

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. P. J. NEWMAN &' J. S. GREENE.

RAILWAY-SNOW EXGAVATOR.

Patented Feb. 8, 1887.

Photo-Lithographer. Washington, 0. c

. NITED STATES PATENT Erica FRANK J. NEWMAN AND JOSEPH SIRE GREENE, OF PUEBLO, COLORADO.

RAILWAY SNOW-EXCAVATO R.

' E PI A N forming part of Letters Patent No. 357,498, dated February 8, 1887.

Application filed June 16,1886. Serial No. 205,359. (No model.)

To otZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, FRANK J. NEWMAN and JOSEPH SIRE GREENE, citizens of the United States, residing at Pueblo, in the county of Pueblo and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Railway Snow-Excavator, of which-the following is a specification.

The nature of our inventionconsis'ts in providing a railway fiat car for carrying snow with a movable bottom and sides, which are operated by means of mechanism, transferring for that purpose power and motion from the axle of the car when -moving, whereby the snow can be dumped on either side of the track, and of a snow scoop or shovel supported on wheels and used for filling the car to which it is attachable.

The mechanism of our invention is fully explaincd .in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, made a part of said specification, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of the excavator; Fig. 2 is a transverse section ofthe excavator, designed to show the mechanism for transferring the power and motion from the axle of the car. Fig. 3 is an end view showing the excavator when dumping. Fig. 4. is an end View of the scoop seen from the rear. Fig. 5 is a side view showing the mechanism by which the bed is held in any desired position. Fig. 6 is a transverse section of the bed. Figs. 7 and 8 are detailviews of the hinge connecting the bottom and sides of the bed. Fig. 9 shows the points for cutting ice below the tops of rails.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

For constructing our railway snow-excavator, we support a heavy wooden floor shod with iron (indicated by letter F in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6) upon trucks not differing essentially from the ordinary railway flat-car trucks. This floor in turn supports four strong upright posts firmly attached thereto, (marked P in Figs. 1, 2, and 3,) one of which is adjacent to each corner of the car. Each of these four posts supports at or near its top ajournal-box made of metal, in which turn journals m, attached to the sides of the bed B. In Figs. 1 and 6 these journals are shown as the swaged ends of the T-bar M, bolted or riveted to the sides of the bed B. These upright posts are held firmly in position by the braces Z and 3.

than the bolts to allow for the contraction of the sides of the bed from cold without lifting the bottom of the bed from the floor. Iron bars J, Fig. 3, with an eye in each end, are bolted to each one of the sides of the bed at the top, so as to form hinges, and the ends of each of these iron bars or tie-rods are hinged to each side plate of the bed at the same distance from the corresponding journals supporting the side plates, as previously mentioned, which journals are all at the same elevation abovethe bottom of the car, from which it follows that the motion of one side plate is accompanied by the corresponding similar motion of the other.

The strap and ring N, Figs. 1 and 6, are

bolted or riveted to each side plate of the bed, and intothis ring is hooked the end of the cable, rope, or chain V, Figs. 1, 3, and 6. The cable V passes over a pulley, t, bolted or riveted to the side plates, B B, Fig. 6; thence under the iron-plate bottom ofthe bed,throngh a groove or space prepared therefor in the floor; thence over a small vertical pulley, 6, Fig. 6, at the opposite side of the car; thence around a small horizontal pulley, c, Fig. 6, under the floor, and at about the center of the car; thence through or under the rear truck and around a spool encircling the rear axle and forming part of an ordinary Frisbie clutch, to which 'spool the cable is attached in such a way that when the car is running backward and the clutch is engaged there will follow immediately upon such engagement a winding of the cable upon the spool.

The bottom of the lever K, Fig. 1, is hinged to a rod, d, Fig. 1, which is horizontal, and has given to it by the said lever K a forward-andbackward motion. There is one of these horizontal bars on each side of the car, and to it are hinged the lower ends of small bars G, Fig. 1', which small bars are hung on journals in the center or near thereto, and are so constructed in their frames I, Fig. 1, that when the lever-arm K is pushed forward the upper ends of these small bars fall below the upper surface of the floor of the car, through which openings are made for them to work in, and when in this position, as shown in Fig. 1, they permit the side plates of the bed to be swung open; but when the arm of said lever K is pulled backward the upper ends of these small bars project above the upper surface of the floor and are to prevent the opening of sides of the bed until the proper time.

The lever H (shown inFig. 3) is for the purpose of engaging and disengaging the clutch 0. Attached to the spool S, Figs. 2, 3, and 5, which is connected with the clutch O, is a spool, (marked T, inFigs. 2, 3, and 5,) around which spool or grooved wheel passes a chain, (marked \V, in Fig. 5,)which chain is bolted at one end to the rear truck of the car or some other firm portion thereof, and the other end, after passing around the grooved wheel T, is fastened to the bar 9, Fig. 5, which has a wheel, 1?, at the upper end, and a catch, w, where it passes through the floor, which engages with the small wheel q, keyed to the 1331 this apparatus being designed to hold the bed of the car, when shifted as shown, in any required position after it has been operated by the clutch, and when the latter is taken off.

The snow scoop or shovel forms an essential part of the excavator. A vertical side projection of the scoop is shown connected with the car in Fig. 1, and a rear vertical projection thereof is shown in Fig. 4. It is made of iron. The side plates, A A, diverge toward the front. They are joined solidly to the bottom, and the shovel rests upon firm iron supports Y Y, Figs; 1 and et, riveted or bolted to the bottom, which is iron also.

The rear end of the scoop or shovel is narrower than the distance between the front posts, P, and the bottom of the scoop is slightly higher above the rails of the track than the bottom of the car, so that the scoop fits readily in between the front posts of the car, as shown in Fig. 1. The rear end of the shovel, however, does not project so far into the car as to prevent the sides BB from turnmg.

Attached to the front edge of the bottom of the shovel or scoop at 3, Figs. 9 and 1, is a small plate, a, Fig. 9, with short heavy steel points riveted to this plate, which is bolted to the bottom of the scoop when it is desired to cut ice from around the rails.

The shovel can be coupled to the car. The draw'head on the front end of the car is constructed so as to use the link in a horizontal.

position, as is customary, or to use the linkin a vertical position, putting the pin through the draw-head in a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 1. The draw-head on the scoop is also adapted to both a horizontal and vertical position of the pin, but especially the former, as shown at 9, Fig. 1.

. In Fig. 1, R is a push-bar with an eye or ring at each end, one end of which passes through a small hole in the bottom of the scoop into a box, I), Fig. 4, through the sides of which and the eye of the bar passes a bolt. \Vhen the push-bar is so bolted to the scoop and the scoop is connected with the car, the excavator can be connected with an engine or with a train of cars in front. The push-bar R can be hung on the small hook when not so used.

The side plates, B B, of the excavator do not fit too snugly between the posts P P.

The end plate of the excavator is marked F F in Figs. 2 and 3.

The clutch shown is that form ofa Frisbie clutch which has a ring with a triangular section inclosed in an annular space in the part of clutch marked 0 0, Figs. 2 and 3. This ring is joined by bolts to that part of the clutch marked 2 in Figs. 2 and 3, which part of the clutch is keyed to the axle of the rear trucks. The ring being bolted to it turns in its annular space with the axle. The part 0 of the clutch and spool S and grooved wheel T turn with the axle only when, by pressing the lever-arm H, the said ring is pressed against and engages with the side of the annular space in part 0 of the clutch.

Immediately back of the rear vertical plate, F, of the excavator is an extension of the floor for the man operating the excavator to stand upon.

The snow-excavator so constructed is worked as follows: It is pushed along the railway track from the nearest switch immediately in front ofthe engine toward the snow-drift sought to be removed, with the scoop connected as shown in Fig. l, and forced into the snow-drift until the excavator is well packed with snow. The excavator, with or without the scoop, is then drawn back by the engine to the locality where itis desired to dn mp the snow. By moving thelever Hatthistime the clutchis engaged and the spool S turns with the rear axle. This winds upon the spool or cylinder S the rope, chain, or cable V, and previous to filling the excavator the manipulator thereof has decided on which side of the track or excavator he will dump, and has withdrawn the bolts from the hinges Q Q, Figs. 1, 7, and S, and held the side of the excavator so unhinged in place by means of the small bars G G, attached to the rod 01, and worked by the lever K on that side of the car, so upon reaehing his dumpingground and immediately before engaging his clutch he lowers the small bars G G, permitting the side to swing. The winding of the rope V upon the spool S tends to straighten the rope from c to N, Fig. 6. This throws the bottom E and side B of the excavator into the position shown in Fig. 3, and as the opposite side, B, of the excavator, swung at M, is joined to the side to which the rope is attached by the bars J, jointed to each side by bolts through eyes in the bar, it is necessarily thrown open steel teeth bolted thereto.

parallel to the side to which the rope is attached, as shown in Fig. 3. When the sides and bottom have reached the desired slope for dumping, the brake p is put on, and the sides and bottom held in the desired position until the excavator is emptied. As soon as this desired slope is acquired the engine may return to the drift. The excavator being emptied, the brake is put off and the weight ofthe bed brings it into position again. If it is desired to dump on the other side of the car, the ropeV is fastened to the opposite side of the bed after being passed around similarly-arranged pulleys e i. The floor F, Figs. 2, 3, 5, and .6, has an iron plating over the parts thereof, as it is subjected to much wear, and may be provided with rollers for the bottom of the bed of the excavator to work upon.

Attachable to the lower edge of the shovel or scoop in front is a small plate of iron with These teeth are about four inches long and three inches apart and project below the top of the rails. This plate can beattaehed when it is necessary to remove ice from the vicinity of the rails. They are bolted to the scoop, and can be quickly attached or removed. They are liable to be broken, but are cheap and readily replaced.

The rear truck may be replaced by two wheels and one axle to add power to the dumping apparatus.

We are not aware that any snow-excavators similar to our invention have ever been designed or constructed.

The flat car may be used for dumping purposes generally without the scoop, and may be provided with movable sides only,withoutdeparting from the spirit of our invention.

Having thus fully explained the construction and working of our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure Letters Patent for,

1. A snow excavator embodying, essentially, a flat car having a movable bottom therefor in one piece, with movable sides hinged to said bottom and also above the same, and means for unhinging one side or the other at will and actuating the apparatus to dump the snow on .one side or the other, as desired, substantially as specified.

2. A snow-excavator consisting of a fiat car with movable sides, a snow-scoop secured in advance thereof and adapted to be forced into the snow, and means governed at will for operating said sides to dump the snow by the movement of the car.

3. A railway snow'excavalor consisting of a flat car with movable hinged sides and bottom, :1.- snow-scoop in advance thereof adapted to take up the snow and deliver it to said car as it is forced into the snow, and locking devices on said car for holding said movable parts in position, and a lever or other suitable means connected therewith for operating said locking devices, and means actuated at will by the movement of the car for operating said sides and bottom to dump the snow, as set forth.

4. A railway snow-excavator consisting of a flat car with movable hinged sides and bottom, and locking devices on said car for holding said movable parts in position, and a lever or other suitable means connected therewith for operating said locking devices, and means actuated at will by the movement of the car for operating said sides and bottom.

5. A snow-excavator consisting of a fiat car having movable sides and bottom, a snowscoop for delivering snow to said car as it is forced along, a clutch mounted upon an axle of said car and connected with suitable means,

substantially such as described, for operating said movable parts, a lever for coupling the clutch to said axle when it is desired to dump the snow, and means brought into action at will and connected with said clutch for holding the movable parts in any desired position, as set forth.

6. A snow-excavator consisting of aflat car having movable sides and bottom. and locking devices on either side of the car,provide d with suitable means for unfastening either side, as desired, asnow-scoop for delivering snow to said car as it is forced along, a clutch mounted upon an axle of said car and connected with suitable means,substantially such as described, for operating said movable parts, a lever for coupling the clutch to said axle when it is desired to dump the snow, and means brought into action at will and connected withsaid clutch for holding the movable parts in any desired position, as set forth.

7. A flat car to be used for dumping purposeshaving hinged movable sides and bottom, locking devices for securing these parts in position, and means connected with the rotary part of the car for actuating ,at will said movable parts when unlocked as the car is moved along, and additional locking devices for holding the said movable parts in any position in which they may be placed by the aforesaid means. i

8. A snow-scoop adapted to be used as described, mounted npon wheels, having an inclined bottom and tapering sides and open ends, and having a push-bar connected there with, as set forth.

FRANK J. NEWMAN. JOSEPH SIRE GREENE.

Witnesses:

MARK L. BLUNT, 1. J DUGAN. 

